Almost set here for the vaunted Chien-Ming Wang-Livan Hernandez matchup.

Lineup change: Tatis in left, Sheffield in right. Here we go.

Top One: Hernandez is off to a flying start as Jeter lines a leadoff double off the wall in left. Murphy tried to get Jeter at third on Swisher’s grounder, but Jeter was safe. First and [...]

Here’s the lineup for today’s game. Take note that Fernando Tatis was a late substitute in right because Ryan Church came up with a case of nausea.

Daniel Murphy  1B

Alex Cora  SS

David Wright 3B

Gary Sheffield  LF

Fernando Tatis  RF

Fernando Martinez CF

Brian Schneider  C

Luis Castillo  2B

Livan Hernandez  P

An astute friend of mine put this thought in my head.

“In the old days,” he said, “when a guy’s throwing like Burnett was and you can’t get anything going, you’d bunt. Just get the pitcher moving around, working harder, get him to come off the mound.”

Seems like a good idea, and I haven’t seen Jerry [...]

Just about ready to start here; Tim Redding vs. A.J. Burnett.

Redding will be out before the fifth inning at this rate. He’s already thrown 21 pitches, having walked Swisher and Teixeira. Yanks are being very patient with him, making him work. Wright couldn’t glove a foul pop in the stands that hit him on [...]

Here’s the lineup for Game 2 of Subway Series II. Funny how the names change, but the minor-league nature remains the same.

Alex Cora  SS

Argenis Reyes  2B

David Wright  3B

Ryan Church  RF

Gary Sheffield LF

Daniel Murphy 1B

Jeremy Reed CF

Brian Schneider C

Tim Redding P

Getting ready to head out for Game 2 of Subway Series II. Any comments from last night? I’m thinking that that proverbial “other shoe” is dropping quickly on the Mets’ injury-ravaged lineup. They got a break last night in that all the other NL East teams lost. But how long can they stay afloat playing [...]

We’re playing this thing after all, following a 52-minute rain delay. Mike Pelfrey just gave up a single to Brett Gardner, in for original starter Derek Jeter, who was pulled when the rains came down. No more damage in the first, however.

UPDATE: Cabrera reached second on a single and David Wright’s throwing error on a [...]

Ernie Palladino in for James, here. It’s raining and lightning like crazy out at Citi Field. Could well have a rainout. But just in case, here’s the Mets lineup for the first game of Subway Series II.

Luis Castillo 2B

Alex Cora SS

David Wright 3B

Gary Sheffield RF

Fernando Tatis [...]

Andy Pettitte just threw his first warmup pitch wide. Mariano Rivera’s up in the bullpen.

Just kidding.

But seriously, Luis Castillo just got a big hand from the Yankee Stadium crowd. Of course he did. You always thank the one who comes bearing gifts.

Hey! Castillo just fielded Mark Teixeira’s grounder cleanly and threw him out to end [...]

This might surprise some, but Luis Castillo was back in the lineup, hitting leadoff, the day after his dropped ninth-inning popup cost the Mets a 9-8 loss against the Yanks.

Castillo said he couldn’t sleep last night and was eager to get to the park today.

“I couldn’t wait to get to the game,” Castillo said. “It’s [...]

Here’s the lineups:

METS:

Castillo 2B

Cora SS

Beltran CF

Wright 3B

Sheffield DH

Tatis 1B

Church RF

Santos C

Martinez LF

YANKS:

Jeter SS

Damon LF

Teixeira 1B

Rodriguez 3B

Cano 2B

Posada C

Matsui DH

Cabrera RF

Gardner CF

Pitchers: RHP Nieve (0-0) vs. LHP Pettitte (6-2)

Okay, Mets fans. Here’s your forum to mourn the latest, horrendous loss. Should they get rid of Castillo? Want to give him a big fuzzy-bear hug to make him feel better? Do it all here.

The floor is now open. Be as kind or as unkind as you wish, just keep it clean.

EP

Livan Hernandez darned near lost his head as he dodged pieces of Derek Jeter’s broken bat on a third-inning groundout that moved Brett Gardner to second. He probably should have regarded that as the highlight of the inning, since Mark Teixeira took him halfway up the bleachers in right center two batters later for a [...]

A recent column in The Sporting News surmised that Mets manager Jerry Manuel’s penchant for calling out his players for various physical and mental mistakes could create unrest in the clubhouse. But a couple of the team’s stars said they haven’t heard any rumblings.
“I like playing for Jerry,” said David Wright, the leading All-Star votegetter [...]

Now that John Maine is on the DL, his start tomorrow will be taken by right-hander Fernando Nieve. But whether he’ll take Maine’s second start will be determined on how he pitches.

“It depends on how he does,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “Hopefully he pitches well and gives us five or six good innings. We’ll [...]